Whitney Anthonysamy

Whitney Anthonysamy

Associate Professor of Biology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Urban ecology, population ecology, conservation biology, herpetology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Saint Louis, Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Freshwater, Urban areas

Matthew Austin

Matthew Austin

Curator of Biodiversity Data, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Herbaria, global change biology, hyperspectral botany, phenology, ecology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban Areas, Botanic Gardens and Herbaria

Stephen Blake

Stephen Blake

Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and conservation of mega vertebrates

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Congo Basin, Galapagos Islands, Central Africa, Saint Louis, MO

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

David Bogler

David Bogler

Research Associate, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant systematics, floristics, molecular systematics, anatomy, microscopy, ecology, sustainability, palynology, teaching

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA, Mexico

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest:  Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Emily Bowling

Emily Bowling

Conservation Education Liaison, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Palm oil sustainability, public education, local conservation

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Tropical rainforests, Forests, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Louise Bradshaw

Louise Bradshaw

Retired Director of Education, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Climate change education, enhancing biodiversity, community-based conservation engagement, nature-based education, urban biodiversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Saint Louis region (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban biodiversity

Gautam Dantas

Gautam Dantas

Conan Professor in Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, WashU School of Medicine

Primary subject(s) of interest:  (1) Understanding how diverse microbiomes respond to chemical and biological perturbations, (2) harnessing these insights to rationally design therapeutic strategies to curtail antibiotic-resistant pathogens and remedy pathological microbiome states, and (3) engineering microbial catalysts to convert renewable biomass into value chemicals such as biofuels and pharmaceuticals.

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, El Salvador, Peru, Pakistan, Niger, South Africa, Republic of Congo, Netherlands, China, India

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Agricultural lands, Urban areas, Built environment

Karen DeMatteo

Karen DeMatteo

Research Affiliate, WildCare Institute at the Saint Louis Zoo / Academic Advisor, Biology Department, WashU / Conservation Detection Dog Handler/Trainer, A K9 Nose Knows

Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology, conservation, and management of predator-prey species using noninvasive techniques

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Nebraska, and San Francisco), South America (Argentina), & Asia (Bhutan)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Monocultural plantations & fragmented ecosystems

Aimee Dunlap

Aimee Dunlap

Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of Missouri-Saint Louis

Primary subject(s) of interest: Cognitive, behavioral, and urban ecology, mechanisms of decision making, pollination and foraging in bees and flies

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos

Justin Elden

Justin Elden

Curator of Herpetology & Aquatics, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:   Herpetology, Conservation Biology, Cave Biology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Via the Saint Louis Zoo(Missouri, Armenia, Ecuador) and externally (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Puerto Rico)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Caves and subterranean habitats, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos

Martha Fischer

Martha Fischer

General Curator and Director of WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park

Primary subject(s) of interest: All Horn if Africa wildlife including Grevy's zebra, hirola, black rhino, mountain nyala, giraffe, African wild ass, and Ethiopian wolf; southeast Asian wildlife, such as banteng; local Missouri wildlife and urban biodiversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Horn of Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Savanna, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Kasey Fowler-Finn

Kasey Fowler-Finn

Associate Professor of Biology, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Evolutionary ecology, behavioral ecology, vibrational communication, biotremology, climate change, evolution of complex traits, animal communication

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Saint Louis, Eastern North America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Michael Frachetti

Michael Frachetti

Professor of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropology, Archaeology, Asia, Human Ecology, Grassland ecology, Tropical jungles

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Asia-Pacific (Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas, Mountains

Gayle Fritz

Gayle Fritz

Professor Emerita of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Agriculture, plant domestication, archaeobotany, ethnobotany, and conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Mexico, United States (Mississippi River valley, St Louis Metro area, SE and Southwest US)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Freshwater, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Roy Gereau

Roy Gereau

Assistant Curator and Tanzania Program Director, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Floristics, plant taxonomy, and plant conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Tanzania

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Urban areas

Theresa Gildner

Theresa Gildner

Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Human biology, parasitology, host-pathogen coevolution, immune function

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Ecuador, United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Agricultural land, Urban areas, Rainforest

Danelle Haake

Danelle Haake

RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropogenic impacts on aquatic invertebrates; ecological impacts of pavement deicers; freshwater mussel population dynamics; community science; ecological epidemiology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Erik Herzog

Erik Herzog

Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Circadian rhythms, light pollution, preterm birth, brain cancer

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

Nathan Jacobs

Nathan Jacobs

Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Computer Vision, Remote Sensing, Species Distribution Modeling

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Ben Jellen

Ben Jellen

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy

Primary subject(s) of interest: The ecology, physiology, behavior, learning, and conservation of amphibians, reptiles and birds

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Central and eastern Missouri and central and southern Illinois

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas

Doug Ladd

Doug Ladd

Senior Lecturer, Sam Fox School, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Lichen taxonomy

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  North America (Interior Highlands, Great Plains, Central Tallgrass Prairie, Great Lakes)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Kelly Lane-deGraaf

Kelly Lane-deGraaf

Associate Professor of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Disease ecology, environmental racism, population genetics

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Danielle N. Lee

Danielle N. Lee

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Animal Behavior, Mammalogy, Ethology, Urban Ecology, Science Outreach, STEM Diversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Mid-West United States (Saint Louis Metro area); Tanzania (Arusha)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban areas

Kieran Lindsey

Kieran Lindsey

Program Director, Online Master of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Urban wildlife, human-wildlife interface

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Liz Mallott

Liz Mallott

Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  human and nonhuman primates, gut microbiome, host-microbe interactions, molecular and microbial ecology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Asia

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Urban Areas

Virginia (Ginger) McKay

Virginia (Ginger) McKay

Assistant Professor, WashU Brown School

Primary subject(s) of interest: Infectious disease, Antimicrobial stewardship, Implementation science

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Kim Medley

Kim Medley

Director, Tyson Research Center, WashU

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Jeffrey Meshach

Jeffrey Meshach

Deputy Director, World Bird Sanctuary

Affiliated Institution(s): Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest: Birds, especially birds of prey

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas

Sara Miller

Sara Miller

Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, UMSL

Primary subject(s) of interest: Diversification in social insects, evolutionary ecology, and population genetics, urban ecology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:   USA (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Agricultural land, Urban areas

Travis  Mossotti

Travis Mossotti

Assistant Director IT Research Systems, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Poetry & Environmental Stewardship; Interdisciplinary Conservation Programming; Language of Conservation

Primary geographic interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Deserts, Urban areas

Jamie Palmer

Jamie Palmer

Technician, Wildlife Biologist, Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation Medicine, One Health, Wildlife Health, Herpetology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Freshwater, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos

Nezka Pfeifer

Nezka Pfeifer

Museum Curator, Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Museum studies, museum exhibitions, history, contemporary art, anthropology, conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: All

Jenny Price

Jenny Price

Research Fellow, Sam Fox School, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Public arts and humanities projects--Environment and public space

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  United States (Los Angeles, Saint Louis, Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Fidy Rasambainarivo

Fidy Rasambainarivo

Assistant Professor, Biology

Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation medicine, emergence and transmission of diseases at the human-domestic animal and wildlife interface; Carnivore conservation (Felidae, Canidae, Ursidae)

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  United States, Madagascar

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban areas, Zoos

Rodrigo Reis

Rodrigo Reis

Professor, WashU Brown School

Primary subject(s) of interest: Livability, Built environment, and Public health

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Brazil, United Kingdom, United States (St. Louis), Mexico

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Susanne Renner

Susanne Renner

Honorary Professor of Biology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant evolution; plant sexual systems; mutualisms; biogeography; history of systematics

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Worldwide

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban areas

Barbara Schaal

Barbara Schaal

Professor of Biology, Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Evolutionary genetics of plants, molecular evolution of genetics, systematics, and quantitative genetics

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Odean Serrano

Odean Serrano

Founder, Countering Wildlife Trafficking Institute

Primary subject(s) of interest: Environmental Security, Transnational Threats, Intelligence Fusion Analytics

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global, Central African Republic, Madagascar, United States, Mali*, Burkina Faso (*Support research remotely from US)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Caves and subterranean habitats, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Daniel Warren

Daniel Warren

Professor, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Comparative Animal Physiology, Ecophysiology, Metabolism, Thermal Biology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Midwestern United States from Missouri to the Canadian border

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas

Emily Warschefsky

Emily Warschefsky

Alice Brown Curator & Associate Scientist, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant domestication and evolution, phylogenomics, population genomics, hybridization

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Katie Westby

Katie Westby

Senior Scientist, Tyson Research Center, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and evolution of mosquitoes, urban, invasion, and disease ecology.

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  United States (Saint Louis, MO)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban areas

Tad Yankoski

Tad Yankoski

Senior Entomologist, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Insect biodiversity and conservation, citizen science, insect husbandry

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Global, with a focus on animals of the tropics (Costa Rica) and USA (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos